NASA lays out revised Artemis plan for astronaut Moon landings as early as 2028
The updated architecture changes how Orion reaches the lunar surface, with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers taking different routes.
NASA used a long news conference on Friday to lay out, in detail for the first time, how it intends to put astronauts back on the lunar surface as early as 2028 under Artemis. The plan includes notable architecture changes: SpaceX's Starship lander would take on the Orion spacecraft in high-Earth orbit before the pair heads to the Moon. Blue Origin's approach calls for four New Glenn launches with no in-orbit refuelings between spacecraft, and it leaves room for its Blue Moon lander to meet Orion in low lunar orbit. Much of the underlying information had already surfaced in earlier reporting, but the formal walkthrough confirms these design decisions for developers and industry watchers tracking the program's timeline.
Why it matters
For people following the Artemis program, the revised plan sets a firmer timeline for crewed lunar landings and clarifies the roles of two competing lander designs. Starship will meet Orion in high-Earth orbit before the pair travels to the Moon, while Blue Origin's approach uses four New Glenn launches without refuelling between spacecraft and has its Blue Moon lander meet Orion in low lunar orbit. Together these choices show how NASA intends to return astronauts to the surface, though the details still depend on the program meeting that goal.
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